Advice to Explorer Drivers

External Since: Nov 24, 2005 Posts: 13

so what is the point of your letter? an idiot not paying attention when
driving could have been driving anything, hell here in denver it happens
every time you drive. do you have something against ford explorers. what
if it was a chevy suburban, would you have written this senseless letter
then?

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External Since: Nov 27, 2006 Posts: 294

"C. E. White" <cewhite3.RemoveThis@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:13ocrcl7naadnfa@corp.supernews.com...
>I had an Explorer almost run me off the road this morning. This prompted me
>to give Explorer drivers a little friendly advice - When using your turn
>signal as a virtual bumper, please be sure that your intended victim can
>actually see your turn signal.
>
> Here is what happened -
>
> I was driving towards Raleigh NC on I-40 at the I-540 Interchange. This is
> one of those interchange where an off ramp from one interchange continues
> on to the next as a separate lane and the right two lanes can both exit.
> However one can also continue on straight (one lane is exit only, the
> other is an exit and a thru lane). I am in the exit/thru lane, intending
> to continue on I-40. A car coming from the first interchange pulls in
> front of me forcing me to slow. I could not move to the middle lane
> because there is an Explorer in the middle lane coming up from behind.
> Therefore I slow and stay behind the slightly slower moving car at a safe
> distance (3 car lengths more or less). The Explorer pulls beside me so
> that his rear wheel panel is about even with my front wheel and then
> matches my speed. As we approach the exit, the Explorer starts drifting
> into my lane. Assuming he doesn't see me, I politely honk the horn.
> Instead of moving back into his lane, the driver in the Explorer moves
> further into my lane and tries to force me into a car to my right in the
> exit only lane. I lay on the horn and manage to keep from hitting either
> car, but I am really pissed. I think (but I am not sure) that the Explorer
> had its turn signal on. I say I am not sure, because the Explorer never
> pulled clearly in front of me. He was riding along in a position where the
> rear corner of his uber station wagon was hidden behind the A-pillar of my
> small sedan (a Mazda3). If the signal had been on, and I had seen it, I
> would have made room for him, even though there was literally no one
> behind me for at least 200 yards (i.e., plenty of room behind me to change
> lanes). So the moral of the story for Explorer drivers (and others), if
> you want to bully your way into a slot between cars, at least make sure
> your intended victim sees your turn signal. Don't assume that people in
> smaller vehicles have seen the small, poorly located turn signals on the
> rear of your vehicles. The rear turn signals of older Explorers,
> particularly the ones with the yellow European style rear turn signals,
> are not as obvious as you might think. Fortunately there was no accident.
> The Explorer owner did eventually move into my lane (but too late to exit)
> and he/she slowed way down - probably out of embarrassment at almost
> causing a 2 or 3 car pileup. I don't know if they were on a cell phone, or
> if they didn't see me in their rear view mirror, or if they assumed I saw
> their turn signal and that I would slow down to let them in, or if the
> driver was just an arrogant SOB trying to pass one more car before the
> exit. I am just glad no one was hurt - this time.
>
> Ed
>

That's what your horn and throttle peddle are for...